_______ __ | _ | .-----. .--------. .--------. .---.-. .-----. .--| | .-----. .----. |. 1___| | _ | | | | | | _ | | | | _ | | -__| | _| |. |___ |_____| |__|__|__| |__|__|__| |___._| |__|__| |_____| |_____| |__| |: 1 | |::.. . | `-------' ___ ___ | Y ) .-----. .-----. .-----. |. 1 / | -__| | -__| | | |. _ \ |_____| |_____| |__|__| |: | \ |::.| . ) `--- ---' ______ __ __ __ | _ \ .-----. .--.--.--. .-----. | | .-----. | |_ | |_ .-----. .----. |. | | | -__| | | | | |__ --| | | | -__| | _| | _| | -__| | _| |. | | |_____| |________| |_____| |__| |_____| |____| |____| |_____| |__| |: | | |::.| | `--- ---' Commander Keen Newsletter Issue 19, "The Mod Issue" (c) 2002-2003 by Joseph Burke, all rights reserved. All trademarks are properties of their respective owners. WARNING: This document may not be distributed without permission. Check out also our site at http://www.commanderkeen.net/cknews/ ========================================>>>>>>>> >> In this issue << [1.0] Articles [1.1] Interview with CommanderSpleen [1.2] Commander Keen modding - cool and fun! [2.0] ReviewCorner [2.1] Website Review: The JimSoft Lair [2.2] Website Review: Dr. Villian's Evil Emporium [3.0] KeenFiction [3.1] NO! [4.0] Keen news [4.1] The Isis that Would Have Been... [4.2] Keen's shot's height! [4.3] Very nice level pack... [4.4] New Keen mod! [4.5] Another Keen mod... [4.6] Yet another mod! [4.7] Commander Keen Vault finally opened again! [4.8] Shadowlands episode 3 has been released! [4.9] Need a Keen site hosted? [4.10] + One Keen mod more! [4.11] And one mod released! [5.0] Miscellaneous [5.1] Announcements [5.2] Credits ========================================>>>>>>>> >> [1.0] Articles << ---- [1.1] Interview with CommanderSpleen > 1. How did you end up to PCKF? :) Well, sometime during last millennium, I began searching the Internet for Keen stuff. I found some interesting sites, including All You Can Eat Commander Keen, and managed to get the old ASCII editor. I didn't do much with it, but my search for Keen stuff went on. And on... until about August 14 this year, when I somehow found my way to a download of Commander Keen: Attack of the Cones. Absolutely brilliant game, IMHO, despite some not-so-keenish graphics in various cases. For six months I've been tossing around ideas for a 3D Keen (even though I'm far from being able to put any into action), so seeing this game I was committed to making new Keen stuff. The next three days found me downloading Episode X and learning the tools of the trade, and by the 18th I'd started my own mod. On the 21st I really got stuck into it and put together CK:MB. And that's the running history of Spleen. > 2. Your first Keen experiences? Well, now... where to begin? Back in 1991, my best friend, three doors up, got a computer... a 386 (though it later turned into a 486 when the original board kind of died). Scattered throughout a list of about a hundred games were Commander Keen 1-3. We played them aimlessly, and for me Commander Keen became synonymous with the idea of having a computer. Some time around then, I was over at my uncle's place (as far as I was concerned, he was the Grand Master of Computers. He used to sell computers real cheap, more or less from his own home--a huge bonus for a soon-to-be tech junkie) and there were two computers set up. Somehow I ended up standing at the computer, playing what I would later find out was Commander Keen 4. I'll never forget that day. Soon after, we got our own computer (it kind of fried itself the first time my uncle came round to set it up, though... but we eventually ended up with a working one)... and thus began my Keening career. Basically, my first Keen experiences are now inextricably linked in memory to my first experiences with computers... completely beyond description. > 3. Where did you get the idea to start a Keen mod? Initially, I wanted to make a sequel to Keen... in C/C++. I haven't been able to grasp the concepts necessary to actually implement the code yet, but such a project is still in mind (though not necessarily a 'sequel' as such). Anyway, having come across countless mods and utilities, and a thriving Keen community, I realised I'd found a place to start. And seeing the work of Xky in particular, I figured what better way than by modding Keen1? I drew up a very Keen6-looking map (a space platform with some crazy buildings and an asteroid), and actually drew up some parts of it in Keen1 until I realised I was going to be limited in the number of tiles I could use. I went to draw up the tiles for the space platform, so I at least had somewhere to begin for a simpler version of the idea, but it turned out nothing like I'd hoped. A day later, I was in a pumped up mood so I told myself to build a mod in about three hours (one of those things that keeps you looking at the clock and working faster and faster even though you know you'll never make it in time). After an hour of intensive drawing, I had some stuff to begin with. I jumped on the computer and drew up a heap of stuff and by about 3am I had enough art ready to take some shots. It was about 4am by the time I'd worked out to turn off Compression in ScreenThief and had put together the site. > 4. Could you tell some things about your mod? Like story, why it's different from others and so on... :) Well, I scraped together the skeleton of a story while building the website--basically, some Garthurian monks have stolen objects that keep an energy race of beings in existence (or something to that effect)... Keen is sent to retrieve these objects. Security is tight, but much can be avoided by entering the orbital monastery dressed as a monk. Yet while the security systems are fooled, the Garthurian monks and other beings are not likely to be. At least, that's my excuse for turning Keen into a monk and having him shoot magic missiles. Actually, the whole monk thing was inspired by a rather peculiar-looking Dorito I ate at a party on the 16th. I was planning some cool novelties, like a huge range of levels, and map-level puzzles (doors that require an excess key upon exiting a level to pass) and a huge range of levels. But doors don't work on the map (and besides, keycards don't remain after finishing a level) and it seems 16 is the maximum practical number of levels without stuff going awry... I'll just have to make the map graphics particularly tripped-out to make up for it. I adhere strictly to the Duke3d Levellord's maxim: "Think Deviously," so some insane levels are likely to be implemented (all those years of Jetpack/Duke3d/Stunts level editing are about to pay off). I also like themed levels, so I'll be putting particular emphasis on background graphics and creating some sort of purpose for each level. There'll be twists and turns all over the place, and you'll have to do some serious work for all those precious points. Well, that's what I say now. Whether I'll have the heart to stick to it or not's another story. Hopefully I'll be able to recreate some of that famous Commander Keen magic that we all know so well. I'm opting for the not-so-comical storyline approach, avoiding puns and parodies, and the story is set between Keen3 and Keen4, in the 'dreamtime' of Keen where anything's possible. So there's some interesting stuff to look forward too. I'm certainly going to enjoy playing it. > 5. Is it fun to mod, going to make some others? Is it fun to mod? Hell yeah. I've been drooling over opportunities to make games and modify games since I first played a computer (in fact, I melted my Vic20 back when I was about six after punching in a program and attempting to preserve it the power-intensive way). I've been using Klik & Play and The Games Factory for the past 6.5 years (damn that time went fast), but I keep getting stuck when I go to make modifications to the game engines after having made a number of levels and such. Working with a pre-existing engine is a lot easier, and offers much more instant-gratification, and I adapted to the 16-colour palette a lot faster than I thought I would. It's certainly exciting putting a new spin on old concepts (especially the level exit--I had some fun with that). I had some trouble animating the Keen monk sprite, but that's nearly ready now. I'm definitely gonna make more. I'm gonna make Commander Keen: Monky Business II and III, and I'll likely create some others. I may attempt some Keen4-6 stuff one day, but we'll see. As far as I know it's not a practical idea to edit the graphics at the moment for them, and I'd rather not attempt to recreate an already-existing story. I'll definitely be attempting my own game engines in C++/DirectX when my learning glands kick in again, and I'll be making some Keen-related games in TGF (side-scrolling BWBMR shooter, for instance). Now that I've found my way into this community, there's no way I'm leaving. I'll be modding for as long as there's Keen to mod, hopefully. > 6. Is there fun in Australia? :) Fun... fun... if I knew the meaning of the word, I'd tell you. Well, actually, there's a lot to do around here in Lakes Entrance. Time I spend on the computer is more than matched by time doing stuff with the JimSoft crew (the group of people I've managed to accumulate for the sake of making games and filming insane stuff) and associates, holding huge family parties (I have six aunts on my mum's side), 'Centraling' (heading down to the Central Hotel for their weekly disco... not-so-weekly of late :( ), sitting on my front lawn with a couch and a disembowelled television watching traffic go past, filming random stupidity, and so on and so forth. It's 4km to the middle of town, and there are weeks where more or less everyday I'll head down there, then another 4km to visit people, then back again. Of course, that's just me... everyone else prefers to drive. Lousy bums. > 7. What are your favourite games? Hmm... I love games in general. I can't even say the Keen series constitute an absolute favourite over all others. Some of the games that have really stuck with me are: Commander Keen series, SimCity series, Theme Park, RollerCoaster Tycoon, Tyrian, Jill of the Jungle, Jazz Jackrabbit, Myst/Riven/Exile, Death Rally, Duke3D, Warcraft II (never played the first one), StarCraft, Constructor, Stunts... the list goes on... and on. Lemonade Tycoon is looking good, but I haven't been able to get myself a copy yet. > 8. The best book you've read and why? :) Best book? Impossible to say. I have a whole pile of books that I would declare the 'best'. Though I'd say that the Myst books (Book of Ti'Ana, Book of Atrus, Book of D'ni) have been the most impressive. And perhaps Sophie's World. > 9. Have you programmed any cool stuff, or at least what you think is cool? :) Well, I did a lot of QBasic stuff between 1994-1998... made some amusing stuff, but nothing really advanced. I attempted a Rugrats text adventure... attempted a CK text adventure... tried all sorts of crazy stuff. I made a random sentence generator, which basically went through a series of four random numbers and matched them to parts of a sentence and came out with some whacked out sentence like, "Yesterday, my cousin and I interviewed the shower head." Alas, one day my brother's Pokemon game somehow managed to de-Fdisk my old 540HDD from my 386--it hadn't been formatted for about 4 years until then, so there was a lot on there... so no more old works. I made some amusing VBasic stuff, which is downloadable from the JimSoft Insanitarium (jimsoftlair.tripod.com). One program I'm particularly proud of is the Patience Test--basically, you have to roll the mouse cursor along about a 32x32 set of 8x8 pixel buttons... and every time you move the mouse cursor, and it coincides with a one-fifth of a second interval, the button toggles, displaying '*' for ON and nothing for OFF... turn them all on and you win. I managed to pass it a few times--wastes half an hour. > Thanks for the interview! :) No problemage. :) Nothing like an hour of typing to expand one's ego. :P >CommanderSpleen --KeenRush ---- [1.2] Commander Keen modding - cool and fun! Hi, and welcome to read this article. This is about Commander Keen modding. Please notice first that this article won't teach you how to mod or use those tools. This gives you maybe some tips, and gives you information about general Keen modding. :) Have fun reading this! :: KeenRush :: Well, what is mod? The actual word is modification. It means, at least in Keen circles, a bunch of files, that will replace original Keen graphics, levels and some other stuff. But mainly only graphics and levels. I count only as mods those that will replace graphics and levels. Just things that replace only levels, are level packs, and those that only graphs, are graphic patches. :) When talking about mods, you usually see word modding. It means simply changing, modifying some stuff, and in this case it means modifying original Commander Keen files. Remember, the main point in the whole modding, is to modify original Keen files, make a new episode with story, graphics and some patching. :) New adventure that only uses the engine of the "old" Keen game, and usually the main character is also Commander Keen. Mods are also pretty much about showing what good old engine can do, pushing it on the limits and maybe tweak it a bit; show it's potential. Also, it's pretty much sharing your Keen work with the others and letting them tell their opinions about your work of art. ;) To make a good mod, it has to look good, be playable, and to modding it affects pretty much all the other stuff that affects on the Keen fan game making too. You can read some about that important thing by checking out the article of previous months issue, written by xtraverse. Quick link is here: http://www.commanderkeen.net/cknews/jul31_03.txt Also, you can read some modding tutorials from some older issues for Commander Keen Newsletter: http://www.commanderkeen.net/cknews/oldissues.php And get the modding tools here: http://www.commanderkeen.net/keenvault/programs.php Hmmm... Many people often want to modify something game, program or something like that. Usually the "target" of modding is something popular, or favourite game of the modder, or just a game that can offer good base/engine for your own adventure. I remember when I was small, I wanted always to change Keen levels, and sometimes I imagined doing own art; making new graphics in to game. And now that's all possible, and I'm modding too! Modding is very popular in the Keen circles. Many mods have been made, and many are working on them. It's popularity very suprising, at least to me. Well... You maybe want to know when it all started? I think that modding started on the day that first graphic editing tool was released. Adurdin released tool called modlatch. It had some bugs and it couldn't let you get Keen 1-3 sprites and some other pics extracted and that way edited and imported back. Soon adurdin fixed all that and released modkeen. Serious modding started. Before modkeen was released, there was released a tool called CKPatch by Admiral Bob. It hadn't any really useful function on that time, but when the graphic editing tools came, it was really good that it was there. It lets Keeners modify and change texts and other stuff from the exe with quite simple patching. There are also some editing progs made that need CKPatch to work. Some Keeners started to mod. I started as soon as I got my hands on modkeen, or actually I started to test stuff with modlatch before that, but due the some bugs of that prog, I didn't use it almost at all. It was awesome to get stuff extracted, see what there is, and then modify some and see the results in the game! Wow. I have started many projects, stopped many and almost all those files are deleted now. But I managed to complete my first mod (or not actually first, I started before that Blade styled Keen mod, but it failed). :D Commander Keen in the Yorphius II... It was the first Keen mod released (though not quite popular). Soon after that Xky released his mod Commander Keen: Episode X. It won the Keen Awards 2002 modding category. Soon after Xky's mod xtraverse released his first mod of his cool Norp the Yorp trilogy. On that trilogy you play as Keen's pet yorp Norp (that is actually Spot to be exact, but it has changed it's name on this trilogy). It was called Norp the Yorp in inside Mortimer's computer. It has been quite busy on the modding scene, but seems that really boom started this month (August 2003). Many great mods started on this month, hope to see all of them finished! I'm already drooling if I even think about those... How do I start? Well... First of all, it really isn't hard at all. All you need is the correct tools and some imagination, and some art and level making skills. You need something Keen level editor, modkeen, CKPatch and Tileinfo. And unlzexe and something hex editor. You can find a lot info from the internet, the best place to ask questions is PCKF at http://pub128.ezboard.com/bpubliccommanderkeenforum... I'm sure there are some Keeners that will answer your questions and help, at least should be. Also, remember to beta test your mod before releasing it! (This is must!) Oh, and keep it clean and Keenish. Notice that all this stuff I'm talking about, is Keen 1-3 modding. It isn't possible to mod Keen Dreams or 4-6 (at least yet), all you can do is levels and some patching. So... Mod, and have fun! It's great and creative hobby, and who knows, maybe you can win the next Keen Awards mod category with your piece of Keen art. :) Keep the Keen alive! --KeenRush ========================================>>>>>>>> >> [2.0] ReviewCorner << ---- [2.1] Website Review: The JimSoft Lair http://jimsoftlair.tripod.com/ Site Rating: Excellent Quality - 10/10 Originality - 9/10 Keenishness - 9/10 Overall - 9/10 This is Commander Spleen's site for his mod. In the Land of Commander Keen, you can find out all about it. The site is very pleasing to the eye and easy to navigate. There's the basic story and many updates and screen shots showing the progress on the mod. It looks like it'll be neat to play with Keen dressed as a monk. Definately worth a visit as it's a very nicely put together site with a wealth of information on the mod. And if you're feeling adventurous you can make a visit to the Insanitarium for strange and disturbing things. --Yorpy ---- [2.1] Website Review: Dr. Villian's Evil Emporium http://www.freewebs.com/drvillain/index.htm Site Rating: Good Quality - 10/10 Originality - 8/10 Keenishness - 8/10 Overall - 8/10 This site revolves around various villians including Mortimer McMire. It's very nicely put together with graphics that blend easily with the black background and it is easy to poke around through the sections. In the Projects section you can find out about a mod staring the Grand Intellect himself. There is info on progess of different aspects of the game, screenshots, and the story. The mod has an interesting Keen 6 look to it. Also, something of interest to Duke Nukum fans can be found in the Game Secrets section. Anyway, it's a good site worth the time to visit it. --Yorpy ========================================>>>>>>>> >> [3.0] KeenFiction << ---- [3.1] NO! Yorpy likes to procrastinate so you have no fanfiction to read this month. ========================================>>>>>>>> >> [4.0] Keen news << Oh, the joy! :) There are a lot of new Commmander Keen mods started, I can't wait to see them finished. I'm already drooling... :) ---- [4.1] The Isis that Would Have Been... Isis project leader eK has posted a topic where he has written a lot of information about Isis that won't be ever finished. You can see there also very cool stuff that wouldn't/would have been in the game. Head over to this topic to find out more: http://pub128.ezboard.com/fpimentogamedevelopment.showMessage?topicID=804.topic ---- [4.2] Keen's shot's height! This might be really usefull for you all modders out there! You can read how to change the height where Keen's shot appears when you shoot. This can be really useful if your Keen skin is taller than the original, for example. :) Good olde (or actually young) adurdin. :) http://pub128.ezboard.com/fpimentogamedevelopment.showMessageRange?topicID=750.topic&start=221&stop=223 ---- [4.3] Very nice level pack... Finally some good old level work, though I call this mod, because there is some new graphics and other tweaking... :) Be sure to play this excellent mod/level pack Matze has made. It has really big and challenging levels and good level design and so on... Try it: http://pub128.ezboard.com/fpimentogamedevelopment.showMessage?topicID=802.topic ---- [4.4] New Keen mod! These aren't in any other order than that random browsing around the forum and collecting the news. :) Well, Krayzie Thug03 has started to work on a mod and you can already see somekind of alpha/teaser of his mod. :) Be sure to test it: http://pub128.ezboard.com/fpimentogamedevelopment.showMessage?topicID=806.topic ---- [4.5] Another Keen mod... New member on our community, ElecDude33, has been working on a mod for some time. You can see some cool screenshots on his website. Check out this topic for more info: http://pub128.ezboard.com/fpimentogamedevelopment.showMessage?topicID=803.topic ---- [4.6] Yet another mod! Dr Villain has started to make a new Commander Keen mod. You can find info and pics from his mod on his site. And by the way, you play on that as MORTIMER MCMIRE! :) http://pub128.ezboard.com/fpimentogamedevelopment.showMessage?topicID=809.topic ---- [4.7] Commander Keen Vault finally opened again! Heh, my Keen site is finally opened again. It took a lot longer than I expected and I have been really lazy too... Well, go on and check it out: http://www.commanderkeen.net/keenvault/ ---- [4.8] Shadowlands episode 3 has been released! Wow, TMST - I mean Ilsoap, has been very quick this year. It's awesome! ;) Be sure to check it out right here: http://pub128.ezboard.com/fpubliccommanderkeenforumothercommanderkeenstuff.showMessage?topicID=741.topic ---- [4.9] Need a Keen site host? Xtraverse has started his own server and offering free hosting for Keen sites. :) Read more about that right here: http://pub128.ezboard.com/fpubliccommanderkeenforumothercommanderkeenstuff.showMessage?topicID=739.topic ---- [4.10] + One Keen mod more! Wow, another Commander Keen mod, for Keen 1 has been started. New member from Australia Commander Spleen is working on this. He has already released some cool screens, be sure to check them out from the site and read more about the mod here: http://pub128.ezboard.com/fpimentogamedevelopment.showMessage?topicID=813.topic ---- [4.11] And one mod released! Flaose has released his first Commander Keen mod, that he has done without telling about it very much, and it was kind of suprise. :) It's really good, but small and it's Dangerous Dave in Copyright Infringement clone! Read more here: http://pub128.ezboard.com/fpimentogamedevelopment.showMessage?topicID=817.topic --KeenRush ========================================>>>>>>>> >> [5.0] Miscellaneous << ---- [5.1] Announcements Er, well the site didn't come together like I thought it would, but there's always next month, eh? Anyways, there's been a big influx of mods being announced so that's why that's the theme of this month's issue. Hopefully there'll be another chapter of Ilsoap's fiction next month. --Yorpy ---- [5.2] Credits Yorpy - website reviews, composition MRC Marky - website, graphics KeenRush - news, article, interview xtraverse - working on HTML issues, concept for issue Forge315 - started this newsletter ========================================>>>>>>>> * swim swim hungry *